The Celluloid Closet (1996)

Based on Vito Russo's book, The Celluloid Closet looks back on gay and lesbian representation in cinema, primarily during the Production Code era (which began, according to the film, with Hays Code and a boycott byt the Catholic Church in 1934) when all GLBT content was banned from the screen. I enjoy seeing how intelligent and subversive the filmmakers had to be in order to include gay content and messages despite the code. Although I hate the idea of the production code and censorship, I do think that some films today would be much better if they were more subtle. Some of the best romantic tension is that which isn't said, and hides just below the surface and that is precisely what the code forced these movies to do.

It is always shocking to see all the violence and horrible stereotypes edited together in rapid succession. It makes it obvious that Hollywood movies do create a self-referencing, collective conscious of how gays should feel about themselves and how others should feel about them. These sentiments were echoed by the celebrity interviews: "Cary Grant taught me how to behave with a woman" and "people have the desire to see themselves, a mirror of our own existence to not be alone." Yet whole groups weren't represented in Hollywood. (Now we have YouTube to create our own images, but what was its Production Code Era predecessor? I'm sure there were underground magazines or something.)

Call Her Savage (1932) had the first gay bar onscreen, Morocco (1930) Marlena Dietrich in a tuxedo, kisses a woman, and was meant to turn on both the women and the men in the room, sexually delicious. Hithcock's Rope (1948) was based on real life Leopold and Lobe. Lesbians allowed if they were behind bars (or clearly villains).

Nobody really sees the same movie, because everyone sees what they want to see (minorities in particular). Characters, movies and people in real life were in the closet, so everyone had to be subtle. Everything was hidden and coded all the time, even in real life. In Gentlemen Prefer Blondes this happens in the body builders scene where lots of really hot men dance around and are completely uninterested in the gorgeous Jane Russell. Even Bill finds pleasure in the different parts of The Celluloid Closet than I do. Which means we are all watching things with our own agenda. Where does our agenda come from?

Delayed fuck, DF, can’t sleep together until marriage. Rock Hudson was gay man impersonating a straight man, impersonating a gay man. Shirley MacLaine, Audrey Hepburn movie, The Children's Hour (1961) was about a tragic, unrequited lesbian love. Shirley says they did it wrong, they didn’t talk about it, but that is what society felt. Society didn't talk about it. So why did they make this movie?

Movies to see: Personal Best (1982), The Color Purple (1995?), The Hunger (1983) with Susan Sarandon, touch is the most intimate moment. Insists on not being drunk, don’t take away choice to bed Catherine Deneuve. Susan Sarandon, kiss not about sexuality but a declaration of love.

Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) – The woman they interviewed about this movie was angry that she wasn’t being told explicitly that they were lesbians and in love, but I loved the subtly of that. Iggy was so in love with her and clearly coded as lesbian. To me that movie said it as explicitly as you could in the time period/location that the movie takes place. In real life, being in love with a straight woman in the 30s/40s in the south plays out that subtly. I felt it was true, because they couldn’t just stand up and say it back then.